Texas is still chasing wins on the field, but the Longhorns are making noise off it too.
With the bye week giving Steve Sarkisian and his staff a little breathing room before Saturday’s trip to Dallas to face Oklahoma, Texas used the downtime to push ahead in the 2027 and 2028 recruiting cycles. One of the names moving firmly onto the Longhorns’ radar is former Clemson linebacker commit RJ Hudson.
Texas has now picked up two predictions from 247Sports to land Hudson, who backed off his Clemson pledge on Friday after being committed there since June. The Longhorns offered the three-star prospect from Varina High School in Richmond, VA, on Sept. 21, and OrangeBloods reported that Texas has already lined up a visit for Oct. 24, when the Longhorns host Ole Miss in Austin.
Hudson brings a productive stat line with him. Last season, the 6-2, 215-pound defender finished with 45 tackles, 13 sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and one interception. He also has offers from programs including Penn State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Maryland.
Andrew Ivins of 247Sports sees a player with real upside.
"Will need to add some power to his assault package in the coming early, but has a chance to be a havoc-creator on Saturdays with his bend and burst," Ivins wrote.
If Texas closes here, Hudson would add another piece to a 2027 class that already looks strong on paper. The Longhorns’ current group includes Easton Royal, WR (5-Star), Ismael Camara, OT (5-Star), Kasi Currie, DL (4-Star), Landen Williams-Callis, RB (4-Star), Brock Williams, TE (4-Star) and Jabarrius Garror, Edge (4-Star).
Royal is the headliner in that class, though there’s still uncertainty around his future, with a real chance he ends up at LSU or Florida instead. Texas also had five-star cornerback John Meredith III in the 2027 group before he reclassified to 2026 and is now on the roster, where he has one total tackle as a freshman.
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